Down the Hatch: What Have We Done?
by LostObsession
Summary: 5th in the Choices Series. I understood suddenly why I was needed at the hatch...Eko's POV during the S2 finale.


**A/N:** Well, would you look at that? I'm uploaded again, for the second day in a row! I have to say though, that out of all the POVs I've written so far, Eko's was undoubtedly the hardest. It's very difficult to tell what he's thinking sometimes, and I almost decided not to write his POV, but the fic just wouldn't be the same without it. Therefore, I've kept it in, but it's very short, and it's more like a prologue to the other upcoming chapters. I tried my best to really delve into Eko's thoughts and write him as realistically as possible, but I don't know how well I did. His character is definitely the most challenging to write, and I apologize ahead of time if he seems OOC.

**Disclaimer: **Please believe me when I say that although I'd give almost anything to own 'Lost,' that pleasure belongs solely to J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jack Bender, and all the people at ABC, Touchstone Television, and Bad Robot. Besides, if I owned the show, why would I spend my time writing fanfics about it?

_**Reviews-**_

I'd like to thank DragonRider8 for once again reviewing my last fic., 'Daring to Trust.' Your encouragement gives me inspiration, and I don't know where I'd be without it.

So, here we go again! Enjoy!

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Protector of Faith

As soon as John and I found the other hatch and watched the video, I knew there was going to be trouble. I could see in John's face that he believed everything the video had said, everything including that the whole thing was an experiment- the button, the hatch, everything. John would not keep his faith in the button for much longer, that much was clear. He was going to do something. I understood suddenly why I was needed at the hatch. I had to stop John from doing something stupid.

I could see the desire in John's eyes when we were in the hatch. I could see how much he wanted to let the clock run down to zero, to not push the button. But I knew the button was real. I had to protect it from John at all costs, or the consequences would be deadly for everyone.

It was sad seeing John slowly begin to lose faith. He believed that the button wasn't real, that it was all just an experiment when I knew otherwise. He would not listen to reason. John firmly believed that he had been a slave to the button and that angered him. He even accused me of being a slave to the device, but I am a slave to nothing and no one. I knew what needed to be done. John wanted to be free, so I gave him freedom. I showed him out of the hatch. If he wanted to be free, I was not going to stop him, but I would not allow him to endanger everyone either. I told him not to come back, and I set him free.

John claimed that he did not want to be a slave, so I gave him a chance at freedom. However, he could not accept that the thing he thought had enslaved him was still working, so he came back. He locked me out of the hatch. I pleaded with him not to do it; I tried to make him see reason, but it was no use. I was desperate. I had to stop John before he made a mistake and did something he would regret. I had to stop him from not pushing the button and dooming us all. If I failed, everyone would die, and I could not let that happen. I was sent to the hatch for a reason. Too many people had already died, and the only way I could prevent more deaths was to stop John. In that moment, I realized my only hope was Charlie.

Charlie was not hard to find. He was sitting on the beach, playing his guitar when I approached him. I was not certain of what his reaction would be to seeing me, but I suspected I would not be greeted with open arms. He had been angry with me for abandoning the building of the church, but I had hoped he would understand it was what I had to do. My place was in the hatch. I only hoped Charlie would be willing to put aside his anger and help me.

As I had suspected, Charlie was not overjoyed by my presence at his side, but once I explained the situation, his anger lessened. I could tell he was still reluctant to help, but I impressed upon him that the situation was of the utmost importance. Charlie, sensing the seriousness in my voice, agreed to help at once. I was extremely grateful, but I was also all too aware that we were running out of time. Finally, Charlie led me to the dynamite. I did not want to have to resort to using dynamite to stop John, but it might be the only way.

When we arrived at the hatch, I was convinced that we had to use the dynamite. Charlie, however, was having second thoughts and was unsure whether we had to take such drastic measures. Worried, he warned John about what I was going to do and asked him to reconsider, but I knew that nothing either of us said was going to change John's mind. He would believe whatever he wanted to believe, and that was it.

Giving up on trying to change John's mind, Charlie turned his attention to me. It was obvious that he was doubting the need for such extreme measures. He was reluctant to use dynamite out of fear someone would get hurt, even if it could be the only way to stop John. I was thankful for Charlie's help, but I knew that I could not allow him to persuade me not to do what was necessary. He had been a great help, but I did not want him to do something that he did not feel right about, which is why I told him to leave.

Charlie was stubborn though, and was hesitant to leave me alone with the dynamite. He tried hard to get me to back down and to reconsider my choice. He even went so far as to suggest that perhaps John was right. How could we know that the button was real? It was obvious Charlie was debating whether we should be doing this or not. I knew he was just voicing his thoughts on the matter, but I felt suddenly angry at his lack of faith. Why couldn't he see that John was making a mistake? Why couldn't he see that I needed to stop him? Charlie didn't understand, at least not fully. And that was when I realized that this was something I had to do alone.

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A/N: Unbelievably short, I know. But I did say that it turned out to be more like a prologue. I'm sorry about the length, but the only way I could have made it longer was by dragging it out, and that seemed like a good place to end it. Thoughts, comments, questions, and/or constructive criticism are always appreciated, so leave a review and give me your opinion. Thanks for reading!

LostObsession, a.k.a. Ana


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